The FAA will have to test each individual tablet and e-reader before the rules can change

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it will be reviewing the effects of tablet/e-reader use during takeoff and landing after previously banning the devices during those times.

The FAA was adamant about plane passengers not using tablets or e-readers during takeoff/landing because of interference with important aviation electronics needed to fly the plane safely. Passengers are not allowed to turn these gadgets back on until the plane is at an altitude of 10,000 feet. The FAA would not budge on this stance for quite some time despite there being no scientific proof that these devices cause interference.

Now, it seems the FAA is willing to take a second look at its rules regarding the use of e-readers and tablets during takeoff and landing. This new stance was discovered by The New York Times, where NYT journalist Nick Bilton called the FAA asking about the use of his digital reading device during takeoff and landing. He spoke with Laura J. Brown, deputy assistant administrator for public affairs for the FAA, who said that the FAA is now looking into the safety of these devices during takeoff and landing.

"With the advent of new and evolving electronic technology, and because the airlines have not conducted the testing necessary to approve the use of new devices, the FAA is taking a fresh look at the use of personal electronic devices, other than cell phones, on aircraft," said Brown.

The FAA likely put this testing off due to costs and the amount of testing required for these devices to pass. In order for the FAA to approve the use of e-readers and tablets during takeoff and landing, each kind of device needs to be tested. For example, an iPad cannot be tested alone; the iPad 2 and the new iPad must be tested as well. There are already several versions of the Kindle available as well, such as the Kindle Fire tablet, and many other Android-powered tablets on the market. Windows 8 tablets are expected to hit the market this year as well. This explains why smartphones are not going to be tested anytime soon, since there are way too many for individual testing.

In early December 2011, the FAA raised a few eyebrows when allowing American Airlines pilots to use iPads in the cockpit. The FAA allowed iPads to replace paper manuals and charts, and they could be used during takeoff and landing. The FAA argued that allowing two iPads in the cockpit was a significantly different scenario than several passengers using several devices for longer periods of time.

The New York Times then ran to EMT Labs, which is an independent testing facility in California that screens electrical emissions from different gadgets, for answers regarding the FAA's rules. EMT Labs said Amazon's Kindle does not pose much of a threat at all, considering a plane is only approved as safe if it can withstand 100 volts per meter of electrical interference, and a Kindle emits under 30 microvolts per meter (0.00003 of a volt).

EMT Labs also said that the "two tablets versus many" theory the FAA used was incorrect as well, saying that electromagnetic energy doesn't add up as more e-readers or tablets are used. Rather, the "noise" from such gadgets decreases as more are used.

quote: I have to believe that all such devices emit relatively similar amounts of e-noise. At the very most, enact some kind of regulation for what an acceptable amount of e-noise is from such devices and require manufacturers to pay for their own certification through some kind of testing facility.

Probably but I don't really know. I know that cell phones can have wildly different SAR levels so if I follow that thought it doesn't seem unrealistic that different mobile devices could have different levels of "interference." Your second thought would solve that problem entirely though.

I don't understand, if they test certain devices, who is going to police it? Will the Flight Attentdent walk up check out the tablet and say "Oh that is an Ipad 3, which is not approved yet, if you had the Ipad 2, you would be fine ". They cannot possibly test all devices, nor could they enforce it.

The only reasonable idea behind this would be to get as broad of a group as they can to see if they can allow all devices, but even then there would need to be some sort of criteria, since smart phones and tablets are starting to converge.

If they say that tablets are okay, but no phones, where do you classify that a tablet starts? Most tablets can have cell modems in them, and some phones are coming out with larger than 5" screens.